


Up, Up, Up

by mrtvejpes



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff and the Tiniest Bit of Smut, Established Relationship, Kihyun Is Basically Ebichu, Kihyun Is Tiny Because I Said So, Kihyun in an Apron, M/M, Self Confidence Issues, Size Difference, Size Kink, Tiny!Ki, kiho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 20:08:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16166090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrtvejpes/pseuds/mrtvejpes
Summary: Nothing could frighten Yoo Kihyun.He was a man. A warrior.Even though he was only ten centimetres tall.





	Up, Up, Up

**Author's Note:**

> For T.

Nothing could frighten Yoo Kihyun.

He was a man. A warrior.

And he would not be frightened by spiders, even if they amounted to half his size.

Picking up Hoseok's shoelace, he tied the absurdly thick piece of fabric around his head like a bandana the way he's seen it in old Japanese ninja movies. He made sure the rope was fastened in a nice knot. He adjusted it on his forehead and took care that his bangs fell over the shoelace silky and fluffy. He was a warrior, but he could still be cute.

He let his arms fall to his waist. In the very same motion, he tightened the knot of his apron.

Sunlight crept over the floor in a thick yellow layer. Kihyun breathed in.

He picked up an empty glass off the ground. Gosh, it was heavy. He wavered. His knobby knees shook as he lifted the thick glass up, its side squishing his cheek. Grunting, he took the first step. His hands slipped over the smooth, round surface, but he carried on.

“Be careful, Kihyunnie,” said Hoseok, his voice almost a hiss. It came from above where he sat perched on a table, overseeing the scene before him.

“Fear not, hyung,” Kihyun forced out, his cheek becoming even squishier. “I've got this.”

His knees wobbled again. He had to tread softer now – slower – but he needed to be stronger than ever. He would tiptoe if the tumbler wasn't weighing him down.

Kihyun knew he must not waver. He had a hyung to protect.

The closer he got the the hairy intruder in their house, though, the harder it became to walk. He was no longer stealthy; he was barely steady. The spider sniffed, its front legs curling under it as if it was waiting for someone. Waiting to lunge.

Kihyun lunged first. With a war cry, he made three long-ish jumps and put the glass over the huge black body in front of him. He trapped the giant. Letting out squeaks, the spider's legs started to scrape over the inside of the see-through prison. It was trying to overthrow the glass.

Satisfied, Kihyun let it try. He put his hands on his hips. They kept trembling from the strain. He took pains to will the tremors away, especially when Hoseok peered down over the edge of the table.

“It's still alive!” he accused in a whisper.

“Well, I'm not a killer,” defended Kihyun. He looked from Hoseok to the spider and back. “We could let it starve?” he suggested uncertainly.

“I won't stay in the same house with this monster,” Hoseok told him quietly.

Kihyun frowned lightly.

Then he dusted off his hands. Alright.

He laid his palms on the thick tumbler. He gave an experimental push.

It worked. The spider had to run a little so the rim of the glass wouldn't saw off its legs; all eight of them. Puffing up his chest, Kihyun pushed again with all his might. The glass slid over the shiny, freshly waxed floor as if it was gliding over butter.

Oh, the perks of Sunday cleaning.

With much effort and huffing, the now flushed Kihyun pushed the tumbler out of the entrance door and further into the garden. The road got bumpier once outside, the glass swaying from side to side as it stumbled over uneven earth and tufts of grass.

Out of breath, Kihyun stopped. He rested his back on the glass, upturning his face to the sky while the morning sun warmed it. A heady scent of bluebells overpowered him. Maybe he could pick one for Hoseok.

Sweaty and shy, he wandered back to the kitchen. Hoseok was no longer squatting on the table. Instead, he sat tucked under it, looking out for Kihyun's grand return.

Kihyun let his action figure shoes at the door because they were dirty now and he had just cleaned earlier. His footsteps were completely noiseless. Light. Nevertheless, his body felt like it weighted one hundred kilos. It was partly because of the ferocious fight and partly because of the way his heart swelled in his rib cage as he gazed up at his big hyung.

Halting in front of Hoseok, he squeezed the stem of the bluebell behind his back, twisting it a little in his sweaty hands.

Nothing could frighten Yoo Kihyun.

He was a man. A warrior.

He offered the bluebell to Hoseok.

“It's gone,” he said, referring to the spider who had been exiled to the garden.

Hoseok didn't take the flower. He picked up the whole Kihyun.

“Did it hurt you?” he wanted to know. Moving his hands, he checked Kihyun from every angle to be sure not a single hair on his head was harmed.

The sudden motion made Kihyun drop on his butt. Luckily, Hoseok's palms were cushiony enough. Calloused, but comfy. He could fall asleep there.

But first, he had to woo.

“It didn't even touch me,” said Kihyun as he got up.

He gathered his bravado and strutted up Hoseok's arm to the broad expanse of his shoulder, using the bluebell the way tightrope walkers use a pole to gain balance. When he got to his destination, he hoisted the flower and placed it behind Hoseok's ear. Knowing Hoseok, he was extra careful not to tickle him. It could send him tumbling down.

There. Hoseok was pretty like this.

But then again, Hoseok was pretty. Period.

Since he fancied himself particularly heroic after defeating the danger, Kihyun kissed his ear a little.

 _That_ tickled. Hoseok's shoulders shook. Yelping, Kihyun found himself grabbed firmly in Hoseok's fist, the older man making sure he wouldn't crash down. As he chuckled in sweet ripples, Hoseok picked Kihyun up and held him to the level of his face.

Kihyun gaped. He'd yet to grow used to being manhandled.

It had its upside, though. He now had Hoseok giggly face right within arm's reach; and Kihyun's arm stood approximately five centimetres. Six, if he was being generous. Better than ever, he could see Hoseok's laughter lines become deep, as if someone breathed life into a piece of marble. It suited him. But he calmed down all too soon for Kihyun's liking.

All that remained was a smile, softly pressed into the corners of his mouth.

“Are you still scared?” asked Kihyun, his eyes wandering up to Hoseok's eyes and down and back up.

“Only a little bit. If it comes back, I'm calling Hyunwoo,” he announced.

“There's no need for that, hyung.” Kihyun's face, which was the size of a coin, scrunched up in a tiny scowl. “I can protect you.”

“I know. But I should protect you, too.”

Smiling wider, Hoseok poked Kihyun's tummy with his forefinger.

Of course, it sent Kihyun tumbling. He ended up on his butt for the second time in two minutes. With huffs and puffs, he straightened up his apron and tightened his warrior bandana. He remained seated, though. The folds of Hoseok's palms were just too plushy to pass.

“You can protect me from all those dishes you left in the sink again,” remarked Kihyun when he glanced back at Hoseok.

“I was about to!”

“I can see that,” said Kihyun sourly.

“To my defense, the monster attacked me before I could get to it.”

“I see no more monsters here, though. Chop, chop.”

Hoseok pretended to pout, but his facade fell apart the second Kihyun raised his eyebrows at him. Giving one more giggle, Hoseok pecked Kihyun's little head, got up, and headed to the sink.

Naturally, he carried Kihyun with him so he could sit on the counter as regally as his height allowed him to and comment on his boyfriend's dishwashing techniques.

It was a busy day; a sunny kind of Sunday that nevertheless grew chilly as the hours passed by. The sun turned from yellow to pale to white. Leaves fell, as yellow as ever. Kihyun watched them flutter and float from his favourite spot on a window sill. He put down a timble. He used it as a bucket to water the cacti that adorned the window.

He liked autumn so, so much.

“Kihyunnie?”

The voice carried from the living room.

“Yes?” he called back.

“Where is the timble? I can't find it in the sewing kit.”

That was an unusual question coming from Hoseok. He knitted his brows.

“I'm using it. Why?”

“I think I'm gonna need it.” For some reason, he sounded pitiful. “I kinda pricked my finger.”

“You what?” exclaimed Kihyun.

He got no answer this time.

He grumbled. The shoelace was still on his forehead. He reached up and untied it. He peeked down from the window sill. It was quite high, but there was a lovely chess table placed right under it, halving the distance between his spot and the ground.

Kihyun was used to moving around the house without Hoseok's help. Thus, he got moving.

He tied the shoelace around the timble and lowered it to the center of the chessboard, careful not to overthrow any of the pieces. When it safely landed, Kihyun let go of the rope and jumped right after it. The pieces trembled as he thudded down, but none fell.

He was less cautious when climbing down the rest of the way. He simply tied the timble to his waist and slid down one of the table legs. The timble securely tucked in his arms, Kihyun began to run towards the living room. His teeny feeties plop-plop-plopped on the sparkling floor.

“Hyung!”

“Over here.”

Hoseok was hunched over by the coffee table. The sewing kit was open and its contents were stewn all around him – on the table, on the ground, in his lap. A gaping Band-Aid pack lay next to all that mess. Carefully, Hoseok was wrapping a plaster around the pad of his finger.

“What in the world,” said Kihyun, darkening at the sight as he fluffed up his apron to run faster, “are you doing here?”

“I'm making you new clothes.”

Kihyun halted. The timble hit his hip, but he didn't pay attention to it.

“You're not just messing around? You're actually sewing?”

“Yes! Look,” said Hoseok proudly and picked up something that resembled a kilt. Kihyun instantly recognized the pattern of Hoseok's old flannel shirt which was too small to fit him nowadays. “Isn't it nice?” he demanded.

“It's a skirt.”

“For men,” he beamed.

“This isn't Scotland.”

“I'm just warming up,” he said gently and put the kilt down. “I've bloodied the thing up, anyway. I'll throw it away. But I think I can make you more aprons today so you don't have to wear the doll kind.”

Kihyun sighed; both at himself and his hyung.

“I don't mind.” He bit his lip. “But could you make me a purple one?”

Wordlessly, Hoseok picked up an already cut piece of cloth, probably from another shirt which was one size too small for him. It was plum-coloured, just like Kihyun's hair.

“And just you wait when I learn how to make shorts,” he said, and Kihyun couldn't decide if it was a promise or a threat.

“Ambitious,” he mumbled. He crossed the rest of the space which divided them and threw the timble into Hoseok's lap. He climbed right after it. “Just don't stab yourself to death.”

“Don't get too close,” cautioned Hoseok, offering Kihyun his hand to rest on. “There are needles everywhere.”

“I should be warning you, not the other way around. You're the one who almost got turned into shish kebab. I swear, hyung. I leave you alone for five minutes and suddenly there's a bloodbath.”

He let Hoseok lift him on the table. It was slippery because Kihyun always burnished it to perfection. To be on the safer side, he stepped on one of the spread out fabrics. It was black, with a galaxy pattern.

“I'll make you pyjamas out of that one,” said Hoseok demurely.

“You really don't have to, though.”

Even as he said it, Kihyun bent down to smooth the folds of the material down. It was soft. Maybe he could allow Hoseok to experiment a little more. He wouldn't quite mind falling asleep in something so cosy.

“Well, we can't have you walking around in doll's clothes forever.”

“Excuse me. I am wearing superhero clothes today.”

“But you're too cute like that. I want to self-destruct every time I see you,” Hoseok murmured and patted the pad of his finger to assure the plaster held there safely. He picked up his sewing again.

Kihyun, for that matter, could only gape and feel his neck go hot.

He slept in the galaxy-patterned pyjamas that night. Some of the stitches came undone as he tossed and turned, so Hoseok had to mend them in the morning; but Kihyun didn't complain.

 

As someone whose personality could arguably be described as nerdy, or as Minhyuk liked to call it, obnoxious as fuck, Kihyun was usually exceptionally skilled at chess. No, really. He was good at it – and he was even better at reading Hoseok.

But ever since he'd shrunk, he wasn't all that good at chess anymore.

He wondered if he was missing the visual aspect of the game; the ability to look at the chessboard from the above. It used to be easier to strategize when he could oversee everything. Control everything. Plan ahead.

From where he stood, the most he could plan was telling Hoseok how nicely his lips twitched when he focused on the game.

Not that he'd actually tell him.

Standing ten centimetres tall, Kihyun stood on his toes to see over his pieces. He'd lost quite a few already, their bodies lying white and haphazard at the edge of the chess table. It wasn't like Hoseok hadn't had to sacrifice some of his pawns, either, but he was faring better than Kihyun today. Not just better. He was doing _well_. It was maddening.

Kihyun folded his arms on his chest. He tapped his small foot while he waited for Hoseok to move one of the rooks, the rhythm resonating through the chessboard. Finally, Hoseok chose to move the rook right in a straight line. _Hm_. Kihyun's expression turned cloudy.

It was his turn to play, but he was in no rush to leave his spot just yet. He occupied the king's place. He was tiny enough to play as one of the figures, so he did. He was the only figure allowed to move freely mid-game in order to push the other pieces where he needed them.

Where did he need them again, though?

“Hey, Kihyunnie.”

As on cue, Kihyun looked up. Hoseok was giving him a smile. But it was no ordinary smile. It was full of mischief.

“What?” he asked, his tone already icy because he was expecting the worst.

“Do you know why you should never invite a chess player to dinner and serve the food on a checkered tablecloth?”

“Why?” he clipped.

“Because it will take them two hours to pass the salt.”

They stared at each other. Shyly, Hoseok smiled wider.

What a lame punchline. Kihyun pushed his pawn forward with a growl. Not even Hoseok's handsomeness could save him at this point. He'd be damned if he laughed at that.

A grin flashed over Hoseok's face. Before Kihyun could even get back to his spot, Hoseok took the pawn.

It was half hot, half humiliating.

All Kihyun had left was his smarts. Now he didn't even have that.

Stiffly, he walked back. It was alright. It was alright. One day, he would turn back and he would be tall – taller than now, anyhow – and, and –

“Hey, Ki?”

“Yes?” he snapped out of it.

“Is it right to _pawn_ a chess set?”

“Shush.”

Hoseok pulled a face.

“I can't shush,” he said, a tad hurt that Kihyun neither laughed nor pinned him with a glare.

“You can, and you better do it.”

“But I have to keep distracting you.” He treaded with two fingers towards Kihyun's pieces, imitating the motion of two legs walking. “You're distracting me, too.”

“I've been quiet the whole time,” Kihyun rebuffed him.

“I know,” he admitted. “You're so lovely, though. Poke-able.”

“Please, don't poke my tummy again.”

“I want to,” said Hoseok sadly, “but I won't.”

“It doesn't hurt or anything,” Kihyun rushed to say. He was a warrior, after all. It only hurt his pride. “But...”

“Can I rub your cheek instead? The littlest bit?”

“Since when is _littlest_ a word?”

“Since you are,” Hoseok gave him the _smallest_ smile, “the littlest.”

So it may hurt other things than just his pride. Deflating, Kihyun took one uncertain step forward. He could survive a few rubs. He started to walk.

“That's cheating, Ki! You can't move the king for more than one space! I win!”

Saying that, Hoseok began to chuckle.

Kihyun frowned. He really fell for it, huh.

His hyung was really the worst sometimes.

He got those cheek rubs out of it, though, so who was the real winner here?

 

Hoseok's mom brought her famed kimchi that evening.

There would never be a universe in which Kihyun wouldn't feel sheepish about sitting on her shoulder, but she insisted he accompany her to the kitchen and he liked watching her work, so he sat tight and polite on her shoulder pad, his little legs dangling.

Deftly, Mr Shin prepared a whole feast for the three of them, her chubby hands moving with swiftness Kihyun could only dream of. Somewhere along the way, Kihyun hopped down on the counter and pitched in, however laboriously, his blush deepening whenever she praised him.

Praise worked on him like magic these days. He rarely deemed himself competent anymore, which was funny, seeing he had to be more competent than ever. Navigating through the house was no bed of roses; there were obstacles at every corner, be it the now gargantuous furniture or slippery surfaces or objects tumbling down on him.

Nevertheless, being told how diligent (and adorable) he was delighted him – especially when it was Hoseok's mom who said it. It made him shyer than usual, part of him not believing he deserved the reassurance. After all, he was a tiny fuck who sort of held Hoseok back. The older man could find someone else in the blink of an eye. He should've done it ages ago. But instead, he remained hung up on Kihyun, never mind his size.

“You're coping with it pretty bravely, little one,” commented Mrs Shin in a subdued voice so Hoseok wouldn't overhear her from the dining room. Her sleeves were rolled up, her plump forearms covered to the elbow by rubber gloves.

It was nothing new that she called Kihyun her “little one.” She used to do that even when he towered to his usual height.

“It's not bravery,” he mumbled. He jumped out of the way when she reached for a bowl and put another side dish in it. “There's nothing else I can do. Only carry on.”

“Well, keep it up,” she said. “Seok needs you.”

“He doesn't need me like this, though. He needs me the way I used to be.”

“Not to burst your bubble, little one, but you're not all that much smaller than you used to be.”

The Shin family jokes would be the death of him one day.

He puffed up, and she chuckled at him and poked his cheek. She smeared chilli sauce on him, which he wiped off with his purple apron. Shyly, he gave a chuckle on his own.

The point still stood, though. The way he was couldn't be enough for Hoseok. Not forever.

Kihyun glimpsed up at Mrs Shin, a guilty crease appearing between his eyebrows.

In a way, he had to repeat to himself he was still worthy of her son.

He took proper care to serve Hoseok anything he asked for as they settled around the dining table, parkouring from bowl to bowl to give him a second helping of every dish he darted a look at.

At night, Hoseok's belly was so full he didn't move at all as he slept. Carefully, Kihyun climbed up and made himself a nest on Hoseok chest, right between his pecs. If he woke up squished, he wouldn't even mind.

 

At the beginning of November, Hoseok brought home a hamster.

Kihyun watched in silence as his hyung gushed about the animal which kept wiggling in his big hands, peeking for a way out. He watched in silence as Hoseok set up a cage and built a snuggly home for the hamster. He watched in silence, listening to the cooing the hamster was receiving.

Lit up, Hoseok lined the cage with aspen shavings. He hummed as he fastened small ladders around the vast space for the animal to climb.

He never fastened any ladders around the house for Kihyun to climb, not even in the tricky parts of the bathroom where he often slipped while parkouring from spot to spot.

Kihyun knew his chin resembled the surface of a walnut at that moment, so he turned away and marched to the kitchen. It took him a while to clamber up the counter. When he did, he lifted up a wooden stirring spoon and turned the tap on with a poke. The water swished and sploshed softly. He started to rinse strawberries.

He wasn't hungry.

He was just empty.

Perhaps Hoseok would eat with him and let the hamster be for a minute if Kihyun added some whipped cream on the strawberries; or perhaps he should save some of the fruit and make a milkshake.

A hamster, he thought bitterly. A fucking hamster, out of all things.

Those creatures were toothy and grabby and grubby, a perfect equivalent of human hoarders, only one couldn't even talk to them. They pissed where they lived. Uncivilized. Was that what Hoseok liked? Fat, furry pee-bags?

If he liked furry things, he should have adopted Changkyun.

Working furiously, Kihyun leaned too far forward to rinse an especially small strawberry. He let out a yelp as he flopped into the sink. He landed into a puddle. More water rippled over him where the stream broke at the bottom of the sink and foamed, wave after wave. Kihyun swallowed a mouthful.

His clothes and hair were completely soaked and he had no way of stopping the water. All he could do was crawl to the corner of the sink. There, shaking and cold, he stared up.

There was no way he could shin up the even stainless steel. The wall wasn't even that high and he could probably jump the distance with a solid run-up – but not with the water pouring into the sink and rising around his ankles.

Kihyun tried grasping at the wall of the sink anyway. He had nothing to hold on and nothing to push himself off, but that didn't deter him. He was determined to help himself.

He would not distract Hoseok from his precious pet.

His mouth quivered.

The water ran and ran.

At least the drain wasn't clogged. He didn't have to worry about drowning. But then again, if it was clogged, all Kihyun would have to do was swim for a while until the surface level rose to the edge of the sink. He would be free without any unfaithful Hoseoks lumbering around.

His blunt nails scraped the stainless steel until it hurt. His shoulders hurt, too.

He stepped away from the wall.

Crestfallen, he squatted down and dragged the stray strawberry to his chest. He started munching on it. It tasted fresh and sweet, and yet it turned into sour mush in Kihyun's mouth. He chewed on. He might have to spend the night here, stranded, wet and trembling. The least he could do was gather some strength for the things to come. Thus, he crammed his cheeks with grim determination. He refused to call out.

Minutes trickled by.

He heard Hoseok's laughter, distant and as gurgling as the water flowing from the tap. He was probably having fun, watching the silly hamster hop and skip and gorge his bottomless cheek pouches.

“Kihyunnie, come look at Roro!” Hoseok called out, delighted.

Roro! He already named the beast!

Kihyun stuffed his mouth with more vigour. He was beginning to feel cold, but he braved the shivers that shot through his bony body. He had his pride, his dignity, and his strawberry. Whatever happened, he was prepared to bed down where he was, like a soldier in a trench.

He was getting kind of worried about wasting so much water, though.

If only the stirring spoon fell into the sink with him.

“Ki?” Hoseok called for him again. This time, there was a hint of confusion in his voice, as if he was trying to tear his eyes away from the hamster and his adorable antics to see why his friend wasn't marching towards him already.

Although Kihyun knew his suffering could end with a simple “I'm here,” he remained quiet. In a way, he didn't want to be found. He was drenched as a canal rat and ridiculous and his chin was possibly still very walnut-y.

A slap of footsteps crossed the kitchen from left to right. Hoseok was in the room.

“Don't run too far, Roro,” he murmured.

Against his better judgement, Kihyun crouched. He stopped chewing, not that it mattered – the stream drowned out every other sound in the kitchen, especially the sort of sound someone Kihyun's size could make. Hoseok couldn't hear him munch.

But _Kihyun_ did hear it when something sniffed right above him.

As in slow motion, Kihyun tilted his head back to look up.

There it was. The beast. It stared down at him, its paws twitching.

Kihyun wasn't afraid. Not even of hamsters who were twice as thick as him and who villainously rubbed their hands together. If it wasn't for the fact the single strawberry could turn out to be his only source of sustenance for the night, he would throw it. This way, he merely stood up to his full height.

“Shoo,” he commanded sternly.

To his utter surprise, the hamster listened. It scampered off, leaving behind nothing but the faint scent of aspens and Hoseok.

Suddenly, he grew even more desolate.

There were squeaks – and something like a rustle of paws on the countertop – and more murmurs from Hoseok.

And then Hoseok appeared; first his shadow and after it the rest of him. Softness parted his lips. He turned off the tap. Roro sniffed as Hoseok moved, safe in his breast pocket.

Kihyun shivered. How many times had Hoseok held _him_ so close to the heart?

Not many times.

He gave up on not looking like a walnut. He was so upset he backed away when Hoseok tried to hold out his hand for him.

The hand faltered.

“I didn't hear you call,” said Hoseok in a grave voice. His thumb brushed Kihyun's cheek, the caress closer to intangible than tangible. Shaky, Hoseok drew in a breath. It was more of a gasp. “God, Kihyunnie, you should have called louder – no, I'm sorry, I should've looked for you harder, I –”

“I didn't call.”

Kihyun's voice was like a sharp, heavy metal object falling to the ground. It resounded quickly and faded quickly and left an almost material imprint in the air, shaping the silence.

“But I was looking for you,” said Hoseok after a moment of confusion. “Didn't you hear me?”

“I heard you, alright.” Cooing at that hamster, he added internally.

“Why didn't you say anything back?” he didn't understand.

“You were busy.”

“Busy looking for you,” said Hoseok in a half-whisper.

Kihyun would scoff, but he was too cold for that. So he trembled.

“God, Ki,” repeated Hoseok, gentler than gentle. He cupped Kihyun in his hands although the tiny man tried to escape.

There wasn't enough room to flee, naturally. The sink was small even for Kihyun. He ended up cradled in Hoseok's palms and they gave off so much warmth that he simply sat down and put his face on his knees and hugged himself. Roro peeked at him from time to time, immediately hiding in Hoseok's breast pocket whenever Kihyun half-heartedly glowered at her.

Hoseok brought him to the bathroom. He took a large cup and filled it with hot water. Very, very hot. Kihyun sighed as he peeled off his wet clothes and sank into the cup, immersed up to his chin. He curled up the same way as before, hugging his knees. His teeth still clattered.

“You can go now,” uttered Kihyun. “Go back to your hamster.”

“It's your hamster, too.”

“Mine?” This time around, he had enough strength to scoff. “Did I buy it? Did I bring it here?”

“I thought you would like her,” said Hoseok. Not taking his eyes off Kihyun, he sat on the edge of the tub. “It's your birthday soon and there isn't much I can buy for you now that you're... well... and I thought you might want a friend. You could play together.”

“I'm not a fucking pet.”

“No, but you can have one.” Protectively, Hoseok put his hand over Roro, who squirmed in the pocket. It was as if she could decipher the meaning of Kihyun's words, or at least the sting in his tone, and now felt on edge because of it. “Don't you like her? Not even a little bit?”

“It's not about liking or disliking.”

“What is it about, then?”

About her taking Kihyun's place.

He sank down deeper, up to his nose.

It made Hoseok deflate. He lowered his gaze.

“If... if you really dislike her, I can give her to my mum. But I won't sell her back.”

“I'm not asking you to.”

“Do you really hate having a pet, though? Is it because you think I wouldn't take care of her and clean after her? I can clean after after her, Ki. I promise.”

“Do what you need to do,” said Kihyun curtly, the water bubbling around his mouth.

“I want to keep her. Please? She brought me to you just now, you know. I wouldn't have noticed you otherwise because you were so quiet.”

“The water was on. It would've dawned on you sooner or later, I'm sure.” He achooed. “I can't believe you let it run for so long. We're not that rich. We can't be wasting water and buying beasts.”

“Beasts!” echoed Hoseok. “She's the sweetest thing! She likes you.”

“She should fear me.”

But it was difficult to be fearsome when someone was ten centimetres tall, naked, and huddled inside a steaming tea cup which was supposed to replace their bathtub. Kihyun slumped his shoulders miserably.

The poor thing really did find him. He looked up. Roro looked down. She cowered.

“I might _learn_ to like her. A little bit.”

“A little bit?” Hoseok asked hopefully, his countenance lightening up.

“The littlest,” grumbled Kihyun.

“I bet you'll love her. Like, I am just holding her and I already feel in love. Imagine how dope it would be if I could sleep over in her funky little cage and climb ladders with her.” He tutted at Roro softly when she came along and let him hold her. “And you can actually do it. Doesn't it sound fun?”

“I won't climb any ladders,” said Kihyun tersely.

“Still,” said Hoseok, pleased with his grand ideas. “You'll thank me later when you realize she's the best gift you've ever received in your whole life.”

“Not to contradict you, but the kiss you gave me when I was eighteen is kind of at the top of my list.”

“It was a pretty good kiss,” he agreed, smirking.

“I don't see how a hamster can top that,” continued Kihyun.

“You could bond over cuteness and run together in a tiny wheel.”

“I'm not running in any wheels. It's dangerous for your spine.”

“Is it really?” Hoseok blinked.

“What do you think? Is your spine supposed to be bent at that angle? Tell me.”

“I mean, you sometimes bend my spine at harsher angles.”

His roaming hands stilled, the sudden motion sending ripples over the surface of the water. It wasn't due to all that the warmth and mist that Kihyun flushed.

He saw that Hoseok flushed as well.

Even Roro gave a squeal. What a smart thing.

He supposed he could tolerate her although it meant sharing Hoseok. Everything became a bit brighter when he no longer felt frozen and abandoned.

Especially when Hoseok helped to dry him off with a warmed up washcloth and tickled his tummy until Kihyun laughed. He got changed right into his galaxy pyjamas.

He had to change one more time before he went to bed because his pyjama trousers got dusty with aspen shavings – and he may have stepped into a puddle of Roro's pee. Didn't he say that hamsters were messy?

That night, Kihyun dreamt of being big again and of tapping at Hoseok's cage until his bunny-eared boyfriend peeked up and ran into his arms.

 

Nights were becoming colder and colder, but not with Hoseok in the same bed.

He was already asleep when Kihyun crept into the bedroom. He left the lights out. Moonshine dusted the tiles. They stung his feet, so icy he could crust over and turn into a frozen lake; alive on the inside but frigid on the outside. It was a relief to bridge the tiles and start wading through a fluffy carpet.

Once he arrived to the bed, he noticed Hoseok left him a path made of boxes and books over which Kihyun could clamber up. It loomed above him like a harsh black peak.

The sight that greeted him when he scaled the mountain, huffing, were the mounds of Hoseok's butt. He'd gotten into the habit of sleeping naked under the thick covers so he wouldn't get sweaty in the middle of the night, and he'd managed to kick them off.

Kihyun would blush, but it was too cold for that. He lowered his gaze as he ambled towards Hoseok's thighs to crawl over them onto his side of the bed. His footsteps dented the sprightly mattress. The closer he got to Hoseok's body, the more he wobbled, the ground under his feet sloping down. He sped up.

He nearly crashed into Hoseok's thigh.

Breathing in, he reached up, put his hands on top of Hoseok's leg and pulled himself up. It seemed his life had shrunk just as much as he had – up, up, up. There was nothing else for him to do but reach up, gaze up, until he was fed up. The world was too broad for him, too tall. So was Hoseok.

Kihyun was used to him being broader. It was such a turn on for him that he never stopped to doubt himself. When he saw Hoseok, his own self didn't exist – Kihyun only thought of himself as a part of _him_.

As he stood between his thighs, though, walled in from both sides as if by two bulwarks, Kihyun felt small. He turned his head to stare at the sea-wide stretch of Hoseok's back. From a distance, he could see a crescent-shaped slice of light illuminating his face, the rest of it submerged in the dark. Shadows shifted like water. Only the silver sliver on Hoseok's skin stayed still. That, and his calm body.

Kihyun's eyes fell lower. _Now_ he blushed. Hoseok was on his belly, his smooth backside pearly and inviting in the light-dark of the bedroom.

More than ever, he hated how fucking tiny he was.

There was a throb in his groin.

He should get moving, climb the rest of the way and tuck himself in his baby blanket. But he kept watching.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt if he slept on Hoseok's back tonight. It had worked quite fine the other day when he had nestled on his chest. Hoseok was a sound sleeper.

He didn't quite wish to drag himself all the way back, though.

Tentatively, he set out ahead. His blush turned from rosy to crimson. He mounted Hoseok's ass, palms burrowing into the supple flesh. As he edged up, the strength he put into his arms pulled Hoseok's cheeks slightly apart.

Gosh.

He could just sleep there. He wouldn't mind. Not a bit.

Of course, he didn't do that and carried on climbing; or he tried to. Hoseok's butt was so round Kihyun kept sliding back down and getting stuck in one place.

Stuck between the buns, to be precise.

He felt particularly tiny, cushioned by Hoseok's ass cheeks like this. His cock pulsed again.

Oh, no. If there was anything more mortifying than being a minuscule human, it was having a minuscule hard-on. And being stranded where he was without any prospect of getting out seemed to him a close second.

He couldn't believe it. The one time he wasn't trying to get inside Hoseok's ass, he got stuck there.

His cheeks were scrunched by Hoseok's cheeks.

He sighed.

His cock grew to its full size.

And then, suddenly, so did Kihyun.

His doll-like pyjamas ripped, falling apart easily.

So this was what it was like to have growing pains. Kihyun groaned. Weight and ache settled into his bones. His arms gave out and he collapsed on top of Hoseok, mouth against his neck. Another groan slipped past his lips, quieter than the other.

Hoseok stirred.

It could've been the burden of Kihyun's body on top of his, or the sound, or both. Drowsy, Hoseok lifted his head off the pillow and looked behind his shoulder. Or he _would_ look if his eyes weren't closed.

“What is it?” he mumbled.

“I'm big,” whispered Kihyun. His voice was thick with wonder, tremorous.

Hoseok gave an appreciative chuckle. “I can feel that.”

He arched. He smelled so heady and sleepy Kihyun had to restrain himself from burying his nose in Hoseok's hair.

“No, Seok, I'm _big again_.”

“I _know_. I can feel your cock.” Hoseok took hold of the pillow. His muscles stood out tighter. “Put it in.”

Exasperated, Kihyun let a light slap fall on his ass.

“Ow!”

“I grew back,” he said, exasperated.

Hoseok hummed in his happy haze before he cut himself off, finally grasping the situation. He started up. The stir and scramble nearly threw Kihyun off him, but Hoseok halted in time – which didn't stop Kihyun from embracing him from behind to steady himself. His upper body lifted off the mattress, he turned back to stare.

Kihyun rested his chin on Hoseok's shoulder blade, nuzzling at it a little. He pushed the cold tip of his nose over the silken, slightly scarred skin there.

“Still want me to put it in?” he risked, forcing a smile so he could play it off as a quip.

Not that Hoseok responded. He took Kihyun by the scruff of his neck and brought him into a kiss.

It was a kiss – and it wasn't; because Hoseok went on talking.

“How did it happen?” he breathed out, pressing his mouth against Kihyun's; open, open, wet. “When did it happen?”

“Just now,” he breathed back. “I... got hard.”

Shuddering a chuckle, Hoseok uttered a small: “I've noticed.”

“Well, the rest of me followed suit, I guess,” said Kihyun, not even embarrassed. He was too glad for that.

Too aroused.

He closed his eyes, his brows furrowing at the same time. It was painful to be able to take Hoseok in after being starved for so long. Yet he parted his lips for more. Their tongues touched shyly.

“Holy shit,” Hoseok whispered hotly. He grinned. “It's really you.”

“Of course it's me. Who else would you talk to like that?”

“Are you being rhetorical, or should I give you a list?”

He gave Hoseok's hips a half-hearted squeeze. It only elicited a puckish laugh out of him and, not knowing how, Kihyun mirrored the sound.

Hoseok's face was close and clear, silvered over by the moon, and it was enough for Kihyun to grow serious soon. He had no idea how long this would last. Next thing he knew, he could shrink back.

Pushing himself up, Kihyun locked their lips, this time in a proper kiss. His thumbs drew circles over the small of Hoseok's back, nearing the two dimples above his ass. Kihyun ground down. His cock sank between Hoseok's ass cheeks, grazing the crack. As any night before, Hoseok responded to him with the odd combination of force and its absolute absence, the body under Kihyun yielding to whatever he was giving it – but demanding more all the same. Hoseok wasn't afraid to take what he thirsted for, nor did he shy away from being vocal about it.

Sometimes, words were enough to crush Kihyun. He would soak up Hoseok's throaty _bend me over_ and _I need it there, it's starting to hurt_ and he would tense up all over, tense up good and sweet. Hoseok was a lot to handle. A handful; everywhere Kihyun laid his hands, it was always close to too much. Too much to please. Too much to truly own. Sometimes, Hoseok was the goal as well as the obstacle leading to it.

It was a good thing Kihyun had become so good at handling obstacles.

He backed off far enough to kneel. Unhurried, he pulled at Hoseok's hips to drag them up.

Holy shit, indeed.

Just as slow, Hoseok stretched his arms forward and backed up against Kihyun.

“It's in the nightstand,” he murmured.

Kihyun hesitated, though.

“I might turn tiny again when I come,” he said voicelessly.

“We'll just give you another boner,” said Hoseok simply, looking over his shoulder.

“Yeah, but...”

“It's okay, baby. I've got you either way. And I'm the best at giving people boners,” he slurred, sleep making his voice richer.

His chest tightened.

That could do.

Kihyun caressed Hoseok's thigh, which made him put his legs further apart. Soon, that supple flesh glistened under a sheen of lube, his ass, his hole, all about him dripping. When Kihyun put two fingers inside him, he thought they'd never felt bigger. Hoseok's hushed moans seconded that thought.

He fingered Hoseok like it was another thing he'd starved for; and he had. He'd thought about the softness that swallowed his fingers day by day, craving it, pining after his own man as if they didn't already belong together and to each other.

When he sensed that Hoseok went even more pliant in his hands, Kihyun bent down. He covered Hoseok's ear with his mouth and closed his teeth around the soft earlobe.

“Do you want to turn over?” he muttered.

“No.” Hoseok faced him for a brief second to peck the underside of his jaw. “Just take me.”

He did. Twice.

Maybe he stayed in his full size that night only because he had no time to go soft between the rounds and maybe he was destined to wake up tiny in the morning, but Kihyun cared for none of that. All he knew was Hoseok. His warmth. The welcoming, velvety tightness of his walls. The kisses he pressed into Kihyun's skin, mapping his body up and down when they lay beside each other leaden with lethargy.

Maybe it was all bound to be wrong again. Just to be on the safer side, Kihyun fell asleep curled up on top of Hoseok so he wouldn't end up flattened under him by morning.

He reckoned that whatever happened in the end, it couldn't really be wrong when Hoseok wrapped him up and mumbled the littlest plea to be hugged back.

 

**Author's Note:**

> @mrtvej_pes


End file.
